Baby ///M3

Unfortunately, I live in an apt. complex that does not allow its tenants to wash their cars with water/hose. So washing my SC by myself is out of the question.

I can't take my car to local carwashes as well because I don't want my headlights get all fogged up again. Since I live in sunny Kali, my car doesn't get too dirty anyway.

Here are my questions.

Armed with nothing but a bottle of Quik Wax and Quik detail, is it safe on the paint if I were to use them without washing the car at all? I usually just dust my car with a CA duster before applying Quik Wax so there would not be too much dirt on the paint to begin with.

How often should I re-apply Quik Wax? Should I re-apply it on monthly basis? Should I apply Quik Detail over it immediately after I applied Quik Was? Or may I simply use Quik Detail to wipe away all the dirts and dusts after a while and wait for a bit longer 2-3 months before re-applying Quik Wax?

I called Meguiar's today and was told that if I have no access to water, I should always clean the car by wiping out all the dirts and dust with Quik Detail before applying Quik Wax. Funny, I thought it's the other way around. Isn't Quik Detail used to maintain the shiny look of the just waxed car?

Could anyone please comment on their experiences with these products? What would you do if you were in my situation (that you want to maintain the shiny look of your car but have only a very limited amount of time and no access to water)?

Thanks!

Jon

lexusk8

From what I understand, Quik Detail works like a polishing solvent, and should always be used before any waxing job. Meguiar's is right; Quik Wax comes after QD. And yes, Quik Detail is used to maintain the shiny appearance of a waxed car. If you haven't already, I suggest keeping a bottle of QD in the trunk of your car so you can use it for spot polishing wherever you go

Guitarman

My other car, that I bring to shows, hasn't been washed in 4 -5 months now, because it's garaged and gets quick detailed anytime it's driven(and it rarely sees rain). But it's usually just slightly dusty afterwards too...

You CAN get away with using a quick detailer this way BUT- the rule is, the dirtier it is, the more Q/D you need to apply for lubricity. On a really dirty car, in order not to scratch you need a FEW cotton towels or microfibers, and make your initial wipe is (after spraying copious amounts of Q/D) followed by a CLEAN towel. Common sense rules here - you just want to avoid swirling and scratching your paint. It CAN be done if you're careful, just the same as when you're washing a car-take the proper measures and don't cut corners. I have to force myself to wash my other car 2-3 times a year just to remove the road oils on it.

Quick detailers are usually used via a light mist for dust etc. as you know. You have to actually WET the paint down with it for anything more than that, and you may get swirls if it' really dirty and you're not cautious enough. The number of clean towels you use , the amount you spray on, how you wipe etc. all come to play in how safe you are. I have done it on rare occasions with My GS too (when away on vacation w/ o hose access) when the car was fairly dirty, and the car still looks new without swirls. But I went through a LOT of Q/D and towels. Most people might not agree with some of this but- you can mess up car paint anytime you touch it if your approach is feckless- i.e. with a clay bar if you apply a lot of pressure and don't lubricate enough. Conversely, anything done carefully and with forethought is probably possible.

I sympathize with your situation, can't be easy. Hope it works for you.

Baby ///M3

Thanks a lot for your help guys.

In other words, as long as I use Quik Details cautiously and make sure that I spray the right amount on my car (depending on how dirty it is), I should be okay.

One more question please, does it mean that I don't ever have to apply Quik Wax every time after I used Quik Detail on my car? If not, how often would you recommend using Quik Wax if I use Quik Detail at least on a weekly basis?

Thanks again!

Jon

Guitarman

As far as the "Quik Wax", It depends on other variables; If you have any other product on the car , i.e. polymer sealant, or carnauba wax. If you wax every couple months then you don't absolutely need to use the quick wax product every time after you quick detail. If you're seeing beading or sheeting off of water, you're likely ok to skip it. Quick wax breaks down pretty fast though, so if that's ALL you have on your paint, you probably will have to use it weekly.

Using it every couple weeks might help lengthen the interval you have to apply regular wax/sealant. Not much, but a bit.

P.S. If you are using a sealant (Zaino, Blackfire etc) , make sure you don't apply a quick wax before you use them, they won't bond well to it. You CAN have quick wax on the paint before you apply carnauba wax if you like though, won't hurt.

Baby ///M3

Thanks again!

As of now, due to time contraint I cannot use anything else other than Quik Wax and Quik Detail.

There's also nothing on the car paint besides Quik Wax and Quik Detail as well.

Could you suggest an interval as to when I should apply either product? Since you said Quik Wax breaks down pretty quickly, perhaps I should just use Quik Detail every few days and then Quik Wax on a weekly basis?

Jon

Guitarman

I think that's a solid approach for your situation.

Baby ///M3

Thank you.

I appreciate it.

Jon

Baby ///M3

Guitarman, lexusk8 and others:

I just came back from cleaning my car and here's what I observed.

With my car being dust free, I started applying Quik Detail and wiped it clean on the right side of my hood and did the same on the left side, except for I replaced Quik Detail with Quik Wax.

In all instances, Quik Wax managed to remove water marks and little dust marks on my paint just as well as the Quik Detail did. In addition, Quik Wax also made my paint look shinier. For some reason, I could always see this little thin veil of whitish smear on my car after using Quik Detail. But not with the Quik Wax: Compare to Quik Detail, Quik Wax left my paint completely mirror like smooth, like just it has been waxed.

Now I am puzzled, if Quik Wax does everything that Quik Detail does against dirt and also leaves my paint in a shinier, glossier, and smoother condition, why wouldn't details use Quik Wax instead of Quik Detail in maintaining the gloss on the car's paint?

Is there any reason why I always get this thin veil of whitish smear after applying Quik Detail but not Quik Wax on my car's paint?

Thanks...

Jon

Guitarman

I wouldn't personally use a quick wax in place of a quick detailer because the wax product is engineered to go on thicker and it's meant to be applied to a CLEAN surface. It won't add lubricity to the paint to safely remove dirt like a quick detailer does.

That said, my guess as to why you're seeing whitish streaks with the quick detailer is that the brand of quick detailer you're using likely contains alcohol, which smears the carnauba from the previous coat of quick wax. Any alcohol will strip some wax, or at least cause smearing ( it breaks the wax down) so my advice is to change to a different Q/D, preferably one with no alcohol.

Zymol has a new quick detail product without silicones or alcohol, scroll down on this link to their Detail Spray to read about it. You might also want to look into Meguiar's Final Inspection or Zaino Z6. Cheers.

Zymol Q/D ; http://shop.store.yahoo.com/streamli...cleanandw.html


Zaino Z6; http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/...ory_Code=Zaino

Baby ///M3

Thanks again Guitarman!

I appreciate all the helpful info. I am currently using both Meguiar's Quik Detail and Quik Wax. I'll probably just use up my current bottle of QD first before I make the switch.

Regards,

Jon

Kohinoor

iTrader: (22)

over here in houston, if you live in an apt and if you dont want to pay $20 to mr car wash or go through the gas station car washes, we have these places where you can wash your car. its like a self-serve kinda thing, pop in a bunch of quarters and you have your own little station to clean your car, they also have vending machines for drying/microfiber towels, etc.. there is also acces to vaccuums and air fresheners, which also run off quarters

i really wouldnt use quik detailer THAT much if i didnt have to...look around for the thing i just mentioned; i cant think of the actual names off the top of my head, but hopefully someone knows what im talking about

Baby ///M3

Yeap.

We have those places here too.

As you suggested, I would also prefer to have my car washed first before detailing. However, going to school and working at the same time really don't leave me too much extra time to do a full prep. car wash before detailing my car. That's why I was hoping to find a quick method to have that "just waxed" appearance on the car's paint without going through a car wash.

With that said, most likely I'll have to look for one of these self help car washes some day when my car really gets dirty though.

Regards,

Jon